DONEGAL racehorse owner Amanda Torrens, whose many hats include that of hotelier and chairperson of the Irish Pony Society, was at Punchestown on Tuesday where her colours were carried to victory in the one-mile handicap.
They were worn by Billy Lee on the Ross O’Sullivan-trained Follow Me, who was recording his third career success. The now five-year-old Shalaa gelding recorded back-to-back victories at the Curragh in April and May 2024, but had gone off the boil until showing a return to form when third at Roscommon in late June and at Dundalk in mid-August, when ridden by Dylan Browne McMonagle.
Nouveau Grey then gave the combination a second winner in the week at Naas on Thursday.
IT was a quiet week on the racing front for this column, not helped by the continued absence from the saddle of the reigning champion flat jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle who, thankfully, looked fit and well when accompanying trainer Joseph O’Brien at the weekend.
Browne McMonagle was at Leopardstown on Saturday when fellow Co Donegal native Luke McAteer landed the concluding Irish Stallion Farms Petingo Premier Handicap on the Joe Murphy-trained 25/1 shot Immutable.
The six-year-old Muhaarar gelding scored by a neck from the O’Brien-trained, Oisin Murphy-ridden Yousaynothingatall, on whom McMonagle brought up a five-timer at The Curragh on August 22nd, three days before he was injured in a fall at Bellewstown.
Also on the jockey front, but in England, where Patsy Cosgrave rode a winner at Epsom last Thursday week and another at Salisbury the following afternoon. Paddy Bradley also partnered two winners in the period under review, both of his successes coming at Lingfield on Thursday week last and on Saturday.
Australia
Further afield, Martin Harley rode his first winner of the spring racing season in Australia, when landing the 1,640m Sky Racing Handicap at Doomben on Wednesday on the Chris and Corey Munce-trained Global Eclipse. Oisin Orr was on the mark at Redcar on Tuesday.
Under National Hunt rules, Brian Hughes won the concluding Join Racing TV For Free Now bumper at Kelso on Wednesday on the Patrick Neville-trained Going On, a five-year-old Getaway gelding, who was making his debut.
THREE locally-produced horses finished third, fourth and fifth in last Sunday’s Treo Eile EI100 for thoroughbreds at the inaugural George Mernagh Tattersalls Horse Trials.
The Anna Sloan-ridden Woodbury Tampa, an 11-year-old Born To Sea gelding who fell and pulled up on his only two starts in point-to-point maidens in 2019 when trained by Stuart Crawford, placed third on 39 penalties, a pole down show jumping not affecting his finishing position.
The Connor McClory-partnered unraced seven-year-old Lauro gelding Mr Marmalade picked up eight show jumping penalties on his way to finishing fourth(39.8), while the seven-year-old Kayf Tara gelding Golden Tara, who also never raced, picked up 11.6 on the cross-country course to place fifth under his owner, Kate Shields.
The Masked Marvel gelding Angely, who finished fourth and pulled up twice in three point-to-point maidens during the 2024/25 season, had a pole down show jumping en route to his third-place finish in the EI90 at the new Eventing Ireland Northern Region venue of the Richardson family’s Moyallen on Saturday.
The French-bred bay was ridden by Holly Ross, whose father Kevin used to train the seven-year-old.
EASILY our favourite racehorse owner/former Eglish St Patrick’s and Tyrone GAA player turned Australian Rules player, Conor McKenna, had another good match for the Brisbane Lions at The Gabba last Saturday.
McKenna scored a goal in the Lions’s 144-91 defeat of the Adelaide Crows and the team now faces the Hawthorn Hawks in today’s second of the preliminary finals, which is due to start at 8.15am our time at the MCG in Melbourne as they continue their bid for a hat-trick in the Grand Final.